Juanita Lucile Carpenter

JUANITA (ENGEBRETSON) CARPENTER (1915-2016) Juanita Carpenter of Rochester, Minnesota moved gratefully into her death on January 16, 2016, 36 days short of her 101st birthday.She was preceded in death by her loving husband Forrest A. Carpenter (on December 29, 2000), and her three siblings Wilbur and Nathan Engebretson, and Bernice Chabot.She is survived by her four children, Michael (Linda) of Manhattan Beach, CA, John (Anne) of Lakeville, MN, Susan Evans of Rochester, MN and Paul (Elisabeth) of Carlisle, MA, six grand-daughters and six great-grandchildren. (Lucile) Juanita Engebretson was born in New Auburn, Wisconsin on February 21, 1915.She was the daughter of George and Amanda (Klug) Engebretson.Her father was the son of Norwegian immigrants Lars and Mary (Oleson) Engebretson and the manager of the Farmers mercantile store in Stanley.George was a voracious reader and there were always books around their home. Her mother Amandas parents, Wilhelm and Henrietta (Reiter) Klug, came to Wisconsin from Prussia in 1858.Themselves deprived of the gift of higher education, George and Amanda Engebretson were determined that all four of their children would receive college educations. Juanita matriculated at St. Olaf College and subsequently at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where she graduated in 1938 with a BA in history and 1939 with an MA in Library Science. The following summer, Juanita took additional courses in Library Science at Barnard College of Columbia University in New York City. Juanitas education enabled a life-long career as a librarian, first in Ashland, WI, and Winona, MN, and later as a reference librarian with the Hennepin County Library in Richfield, MN. While working at the Winona Public Library in 1941 she met Forrest Almon Carpenter, who had recently come from Oregon to start work as assistant manager at the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife Refuge. They were married on December 7, 1941, just as the country was swept into war by the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.After they were married Forrest and Juanita moved to Minneapolis, Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge, ND, and then Richfield, MN where Forrest was to build a 36-year career as Regional Supervisor of Refuges with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Forrest and Juanita joined the congregation of the Oak Grove Lutheran Church in 1948 and in 1959, Juanita took on the task of organizing and building the churchs library. She served as their librarian for 42 years. The church library at Oak Grove was named in her honor following her retirement. She chaired the Library Services Board of the Lutheran Church Library Association, drew up lists of books recommended for purchase by churches, and taught classes on beginning a church library. Juanitas children grew up surrounded by books, knowing the unequaled privilege of being read to by a loving parent. Juanita insisted on quality literature, well written and intelligentandthroughout her life received many letters from people thanking her for recommending books to them over a span of decades. A memorial service will be held on February 6, 2016 at Oak Grove Lutheran Church, 7045 Lyndale Ave. So., Richfield, MN. Interment at Lakewood Cemetery, Minneapolis.Memorials in her honor may be directed to Imagination Library, a service of United Way of Olmsted County, 903 W. Center Street, Suite 100, Rochester, MN, dedicated to providing age appropriate books every month to children from birth to age five or to firstbook.org.